Watch Us Shine

The fifth in de los Santos’s “Love Walked In” series (following I’d Give Anything) returns to the tender family and friends who surround Eleanor Brown and her daughter, Cornelia. It begins with life-altering moment for both women. When Eleanor has an accident, Cornelia leaves her beloved husband Teo and their children to help care for her. Cornelia recently had a frightening altercation with a gunman, so leaving home is something she needs to do to gain some clarity after the horrifying event. Nursing her mother gives Cornelia time to dig back into the history of Eleanor’s life, and she uncovers some big secrets as her research leads her to the North Carolina beach town where a young Eleanor (“Ellie”) grew up. The chapters’ perspectives switch back and forth between Ellie and Cornelia, flipping from the 1960s to the present with ease.